Members of the Senate Transportation Committee had many questions and some serious concerns about a new report examining ways to reduce carbon emissions in Washington.

Gov. Jay Inslee is expected to propose legislation in the 2015 session to cut carbon emissions, using feedback from a pair of study groups. In a presentation on these proposals last week, senators had some serious concerns.

Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, noted that Washington state is responsible for barely 1 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions.

Sen. Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, said the state’s hydropower network – which emits no carbon – should be considered when setting carbon emissions limits, and she wants nuclear power added as a potential carbon-limiting measure.

Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, said his agriculturally-dependent district would be hit hard by higher fuel and energy costs from a low-carbon fuel standard, cap-and-trade system or carbon tax.

In a written response to the Senate Republicans, Inslee said his office has not made a decision on a specific proposal yet.

A recent commentary on policies addressing business tax incentives took out of context comments made by one of our local representatives on tax and fiscal policy, Ron Bueing.

AWB has been clear over the years; we firmly believe tax incentives should be fully and thoughtfully reviewed on a set timeline to ensure they are serving the purposes for which they were approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor.

And, it should also be noted there is bipartisan agreement in the Legislature that supports our position.